Cheteshwar Arvind Pujara (born 25 January 1988 in Rajkot, Gujarat) is an Indian cricketer.

He is a right-handed batsman who plays for Saurashtra in domestic cricket. Pujara made his first-class debut for Saurashtra in December 2005 and made his Test debut at Bangalore in October 2010.[1]

He was a part of the India A team which toured England in the 2010 summers, and was the highest scorer of the tour. In October 2011, the BCCI awarded him a C-grade national contract. Known to have a sound technique and the temperament required to play long innings, he was one of the contenders for a spot in the Indian middle order after the retirement of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman.[2]

His Test comeback came against New Zealand in August 2012, scoring a century. He made his first double hundred against England at Ahmedabad in November 2012[3] and followed up with another double hundred against Australia in March 2013, both the times steering India to victory and becoming man of the match.[4]

In the 2012 NKP Salve Challenger Trophy, he was the highest scorer with two centuries and one half century. He became one of the fastest batsman to reach 1000 runs in Test cricket in just 11 matches and his 18th Test Innings. He won the Emerging Cricketer of the Year 2013.[5]

Pujara made his Under-19 Test debut for India against England in 2005. Opening the innings, he scored 211 runs to help India win by an innings and 137 runs. He was also picked in the Indian squad for the 2006 Under-19 Cricket World Cup after scoring three fifties in four innings of the Afro-Asia Under-19 Cup. He was the leading run-scorer of the Under-19 World Cup where he scored 349 runs from 6 innings, including three fifties and a century, at an average of 117.

He scored 97 runs against the West Indies in the quarterfinals before scoring 129 runs not out against England in the semifinals, helping India win by a huge margin of 234 runs. However, he was dismissed for a duck in the final, against Pakistan, which India eventually lost.

In his next match, the quarter final at Saurashtra University in Rajkot against Karnataka, he scored 37 & 352 (dismissed by off spinner K.Gowtham in both innings) to ensure that Saurashtra qualify to the semifinal. Though he was called to the India ODI Squad after this success, yet he was not selected in the first XI.

In 2013, at the age of only 25, Pujara became only the ninth batsman to score three career first-class triple-centuries. His scores were: 302* for Saurashtra against Orissa in 2008/09, 352 for Saurashtra against Karnataka in 2012/13, and 306* for India A against West Indies A in 2013/14.[6] He also holds a record of scoring three triple centuries within a span of one month, although only the last of these was in a first-class match.[7]

Pujara played for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the first three seasons of the IPL. In the 2011 players' auction, he was bought by the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). He started for RCB for the fourth season of the IPL before injuring his knee in a match against Kochi Tuskers Kerala. The injury kept him out of action for nearly a year before he returned to domestic cricket at the end of 2011.

In 2014 IPL, Pujara began the season as Virender Sehwag's opening partner and was left out after the first six matches in which he made 125 runs at an average of just 25 at a strike rate of 100.80. In August 2014, following India's tour of England, Pujara joined Derbyshire of the English county cricket for their last three Championship fixtures of the season.[9] Following a forgettable debut against Glamorgan, he followed it up with a second innings unbeaten 90, in the win over Surrey.[10] He finished the season scoring an unbeaten hundred in the second innings, in the win over Leicestershire.[11]

Pujara was selected for the Indian squad for the 2 match home Test series against Australia in 2010, replacing Yuvraj Singh. He made his debut in the second Test of the series on 9 October 2010 at Bangalore after both Gautam Gambhir and VVS Laxman were down with injuries sustained in the First Test.

While Laxman was off the field injured in the First Test, Pujara took two catches at silly point as a substitute. In his first Test innings, Pujara scored four runs before getting out LBW to Mitchell Johnson on the third ball he faced.

In the second innings, Pujara was sent in at number three in place of Rahul Dravid in a tactical change by captain MS Dhoni. With India needing 207 runs to win, he made 72 before being bowled by an arm ball from Nathan Hauritz.

In August 2012, he made his first International Test century, 159 against New Zealand in Hyderabad. His highest score in Test cricket is his double century against England, 206 not out. He has two 150 plus and two 200 plus scores to his name from the sixteen Test matches he has played.

After the knock in what Pujara said was his "second debut", he became a regular in the Indian Test squad. He is yet to play for India in any of the shorter forms of the game. He registered his third century, 135, against England in the second Test at Mumbai; this was his second successive hundred.

He became the 2nd fastest Indian to get to 1,000 Test runs, during the course of his double hundred against Australia in March 2013, at Hyderabad, where he put on a 370-run record 2nd wicket partnership with Murali Vijay. Only Vinod Kambli was faster.

Pujara is also the 12th fastest of all-time. In terms of number of tests (11 matches), he joined the legendary Sunil Gavaskar for the quickest Indian to reach the mark. Pujara had an brilliant test series against Australia scoring 419 runs, only second to Murali Vijay's 430 in which he slammed a double ton's 204 and two half centuries (52 and 82).[13]

As Indian opener Virender Sehwag was struggling out of form, it provided the opportunity for Pujara who hit double and triple tons in successive Ranji trophy matches to prove his ability in shorter versions of the game, as he was selected in the 15 member squad for the ODI series against England, but was injured in practice. Following injury, he made his debut against Zimbabwe, scoring 9 runs.[14]

On India's tour to South Africa in 2013, he emerged as the highest run scorer in the Test series, scoring 280 runs at an average of 70.00.[15]

Pujara was picked for the Indian squad for the 2014 Asia Cup to be held in Bangladesh. Pujara Play in three match ODI series against Bangladesh in June 2014 and made 0, 11 & 27 respectively. He also picked for the 5 match Test series in July–August 2014 to be held in England. In the series, he had little bit problem with swinging delivery. He scored 222 runs with a highest score of 55 in a five-Test series taken 3-1 by England.

Pujara passed 2,000 runs in a year. He has scored 2,043 runs at 102.15 in first-class matches in 2013. Only Chris Rogers with 2,391 runs at 48.79 from 28 matches has made more in 2013. His 222-run partnership with Virat Kohli is India's third highest in South Africa and their highest in the second innings of a Test in South Africa.

Pujara is the son of first-class cricketer Arvind Pujara and the nephew of Bipin Pujara. Pujara married Puja Pabari in Rajkot in 13 February 2013. In February 2014, Pujara was appointed as the 'brand ambassador' for the state of Gujarat by the Election Commission.[17]